Wake Me Up
by sunnymadden
Summary: An AU to the pilot episode and this one is actually a happy story! Sam had a feeling something was going to shake up his world...
1. Chapter 1

I had a feeling that something big was going to happen today. It was like an electrical current running through my body. It wasn't a scary feeling at all; it was refreshing. I woke up feeling excited about my life for the first time in a long time. Sure, my life isn't bad by any means, I got my blessings, but also a routine that can sometimes make it mundane.

That was pretty much how my day was going, by routine. I come in, take inventory and get the place cleaned up. This usually takes place by three in the afternoon before Coach and Carla walk in. That was when some obnoxious kid walks in and asks for a beer. I'm cool though; it's not the first time this has happened to me. I trump the kid and have him on his way. That was until this gorgeous blonde and some nerd waltz in and that same little weasel tries to con on them. Being the good nerd that this dude is, he successfully sends the kid back home.

"I give it six months!" the kids yells at them frustrated.

Ouch! Beauty and the Brain are getting married, huh? Sucks for me. I had my eyes on her but she is paying no attention to me. She's not a happy bride-to-be, I can see it in her eyes. Makes me feel kind of bad for her. She would make a beautiful bride. Her pretty blonde hair in a bun over her veil, her big blue eyes crying tears of happiness, red color on her lips just dying to be kissed...

"Diane, you stay here while I go over to Barbara's..." he begins to tell her, snapping me out of my trance.

"I don't want you going over there..."

Woah, I think to myself, what is going on here?

"Darling, I'm just going to get her ring back, that's all..."

"I don't _want_ her ring!" she sneers at him.

"Darling, don't be hysterical..." he says trying to lead her to a chair to sit down in.

"I mean it, Sumner," she retorts. "You go out that door, you can stay out!"

"Come on," the guy just won't let up. "Be a good girl."

Damn, this guy has balls!

"I don't deserve to be treated like a child, Sumner! I have majored in psychology long before english, and I know better than to succomb to this emotional abuse!"

"Oh, well how come it took you this long to figure it out, smart woman?"

"Hey you!" I had to speak up now. "Get out of my bar and leave her alone!"

"I'm not breaking any laws here," he says trying to reason with me. "I'm trying to have a private conversation with..."

"I don't care! Get out of here! I never want to see you again!"

"Okay, okay," he says in a surrender. He knew I was serious because he just leaves without even saying good-bye to the blonde woman who was know crying. I go over to her and help her up to the bar.

"Are you okay?" I ask as soon as she's sitting.

"I will be, I guess."

"What do you drink?"

"I don't want anything," she says wiping her eyes.

"Come on, my treat, on the house."

"Okay, I'll have a soda water."

"You sure aren't a woman who takes advantage!"

That was when she looked at me and smiled. It made me feel like a million bucks to make her smile when she was going through terrible pain. It doesn't last long and she's begins to sob into her hands.

"He was my life! My mentor, my boss, my lover! What am I to do?"

"Hey, listen," I say placing her drink in front of her. "It's going to be okay."

"No it's not!"

"Stay here with me. I can use another waitress and hey, you're not bad looking, either."

She stopped crying and started to laugh again, hysterically.

"What?" I ask chuckling a little. Her laugh was contagious. "You don't think you're good looking?"

"No," she says trying to calm down enough to talk. "You want me here to be your waitress! That's the funniest thing I ever heard in my life!"

Oh, boy!


	2. Chapter 2

"You call that a football team?" Coach asks flailing his arms in the air in frustration. He startles Diane and her laughter stops. She in turn startles him with her mascara ridden eyes. Between the crying and laughing tears, she had made herself look like a wreck.

"Oh, Miss," he says taking her hand and patting it. "I'm sorry. I'm sure in time you will become great at face painting..."

I couldn't help but laugh at this. Coach in all his ignorant bliss could come up with some real humdingers.

"What's he talking about?" She turns around asking me.

"Your mascara ran. Go into the bathroom down the hall and wipe your eyes."

"Thank you," she says getting off the barstool and heading to the restroom. I lean back and watch her strut. She has a set of legs and a cute ass made for struting.

"Who was that?" Coach asks as soon as soon as she's out of ear shot.

"That's Diane," I explain wrapping my arm around my buddy. "She's going to be our new waitress."

"Oh great! She seems like a good kid. Does Carla know?"

"Oh crap!" I exclaim out loud. I seriously hadn't thought about how Carla was going to react to this. As soon as I said that, she stormed in complaining about her kids and why she was running late. I could barely get a word in until she put on her apron.

"Carla, I gotta tell you something," I finally say hesitantly.

"Oh, I can only imagine what this is!"

"I got ourseleves a new waitress."

"Best news in a while! I hope she's a real one and not a work 'em and love 'em boink."

"Excuse me," Diane says walking out of the bathroom. "When you offered me the job, did you want me to start tonight or do you want me to go home and study? I really don't know anything about bars."

Carla turns around and gives me an evil eye. I used to want to pee my pants whenever she gave me one of those. I knew I was on her crap list when she did that to me. Yet, this time didn't phase me at all. I barely knew this Diane but I knew I wanted her in this bar and in my life. Don't ask me why I have such a yearning but I can't shake it, so I roll with it.

"You know, Diane," I say pushing past Carla. "I think the best way to learn is the hands-on approach. You'll be working with Carla over there and she will show you the ropes."

"Pleasure to meet you, Carla," she says with a sweet smile and wave. That only peeves Carla off even more and rolls her eyes.

"She doesn't feel very good, that's all," I say trying not to make it such an awkward situation. She nods like she understands and then follows Carla around like a puppy dog as customers keep shuffling in. Diane meets Norm, then Cliff and a few other regulars. You can tell that this just isn't her place because of her hilarious reactions to their nonsensical topics. You can also tell Diane doesn't know much about cocktail waitressing. She has a fantastic memory for orders but she doesn't know the difference between a vodka gimlet and a vodka collins and when she finally gets the difference, she takes them to the wrong table.

"Oh my God, Sam," Carla says in frustration when Diane's not around.

"Hey, I can't tell you she's going to be easy, but I can tell you she's going to be worth it," I tell her. I meant every word in that sentence.

The night flashes before my eyes and it's already closing time. Coach takes Norm home and Carla stays behind to help me, but I let Diane go home. What a day she's had. She must be exhuasted from everything that has happened to her today.

"Hey, Sam," Diane calls to me before she heads out the door. Hearing her say my name felt like music to my ears. "Thanks."

"No problem, Sweetheart."

"I mean it. I can never repay you for what you did for me today."

"Maybe there will come a time," I say with a sly smile.

"Yeah," she says getting a little shy on me. "Good night."

I smile to myself. I feel like this was the reason why I felt the way I did earlier. There was something about that woman that made me happy about tomorrow. I knew I was going to see her again and that made me happy. It was then that Carla turned on the jukebox and Paul Simon's "Late in the Evening" started to blast through the now empty bar.

**The first thing I remember when you came into my life,**

**I said I'm gonna get that girl no matter what I do.**

**Well I guess I've been in love before,**

**Once or twice I've been on the floor,**

**But I've never loved no one the way that I love you.**

**And it was late in the evening,**

**And all the music seeping through...**


End file.
